Amitabh reveals grandchild’s name

DHAKA: Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan has revealed the name of his baby granddaughter on Twitter, putting an end to months of speculation.

‘Her name is Aaradhya’, Bachchan tweeted to a curious fan, breaking months of silence after his daughter-in-law, Bollywood actress and former Miss World Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, gave birth in Mumbai in November 2011.

Aaradhya’s birth was shrouded in secrecy, with media organisations reportedly agreeing to avoid rolling coverage of the event or show pictures of the infant, despite her belonging to one of Bollywood’s most famous families.

Aaradhya (whose name means ‘one worthy of devotion’ in Sanskrit) was quickly christened ‘Beti (daughter) B’ by reporters in the weeks following her birth.

Bachchan, a compulsive blogger and tweeter, has had a prickly relationship with the media in the past and has criticised outlets that misrepresent him or intrude on his family’s privacy.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan took the Miss World crown in 1994 and made her debut in Bollywood in the late 1990s.

She has since gone on to star in more than 40 Indian films.

Rai Bachchan, who married fellow actor Abhishek Bachchan in 2007, is expected to appear on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival this week.

BDST: 1712 HRS, May 20, 2012

Edited by Robab Rosan, Cultural Affairs Editor